Alfie Steele: Mom and accomplice convicted of killing nine-year-old boy after months of abuse

A mom and her accomplice have been convicted of killing the lady’s nine-year-old son who had 50 accidents throughout his physique on the time of his loss of life.

Alfie Steele died after being repeatedly crushed and held in a chilly bathtub as a part of a “sinister” regime of punishment inflicted on him.

Dirk Howell, 41, was discovered responsible of homicide and Carla Scott, 35, was convicted of manslaughter however discovered not responsible of homicide at Coventry Crown Court.

The choose, Mr Justice Wall, remanded each defendants into custody to be sentenced at 11am on Thursday.

Alfie’s many accidents included bruises throughout his physique and indicators he had been disadvantaged of oxygen.

The trial heard that after his mom met Howell, Alfie “suffered assaults and cruelty, by being beaten, assaulted, punished with cold water and made to endure a life that no child should lead”.

On 18 February, 2021, Scott referred to as 999 to report that her son wasn’t respiratory. She advised the decision handler that Alfie had fallen asleep within the bathtub at their residence in Droitwich, Worcestershire.

When two cops arrived at 2.30pm, Howell was not on the home.

Scott advised the officers that she had discovered Alfie “submerged”, including he had beforehand “hit his head”.

By that stage Alfie was lifeless, not respiratory and was already chilly to the touch – simply six minutes after the 999 name.

During their trial, each defendants advised jurors that Alfie was not “dunked” in a shower at his residence as a punishment previous to his loss of life.

The six-week trial was advised Scott and profession felony Howell tried to cowl up the killing by delaying calling 999 after Alfie was both drowned, asphyxiated or went into cardiac arrest.

The court docket heard Alfie, who was discovered lifeless with a physique temperature of 23C, might have been put again in a heat bathtub because the couple tried to go off the homicide as an unintentional drowning.

Scott lied to police that she had final seen Howell a few days earlier than Alfie’s loss of life. In reality, CCTV confirmed him working away from the home across the time the 999 name was made.

He was arrested a short while later as he tried to board a prepare at Droitwich station.

The trial heard each Scott and Howell thought it was acceptable to hit Alfie with “belts, or a slider, like a heavy-duty flip flop, and use other more sinister forms of punishment”.

This included “dunking” him “in cold baths whilst naked” or forcing Alfie to “stand outside, in the middle of the night and have cold water” thrown over him.

A recording made by a neighbour by which Alfie will be heard screaming “open the door” repeatedly after being locked out of the home was performed to the trial.

Concerns about Alfie had been raised with the authorities on many events and police and social staff had been concerned.

In the yr earlier than Alfie’s loss of life, neighbours had made quite a few 999 calls.

On 4 April, 2020, neighbour Daniel Grindrod referred to as to inform police “I’m hearing some really worrying noises from next door”, including: “I’ve heard what sounds like a child in distress.”

The following day neighbours Graham and Rosemary Willetts referred to as 999 to report “something very strange” about the home.

They referred to as police once more the following month and Mrs Willetts described seeing a boy within the backyard being disciplined.

“He’s standing like a statue,” she stated. Asked by the caller in the event that they’d reported the household earlier than, she stated: “Yes, yes, this lad we believe is called Alfie.”

In August 2020, simply over six months earlier than Alfie died, next-door neighbour Gemma Allcott made a harrowing 999 name telling police: “It sounds like my neighbours are doing something bad to their kid in the bath, like they’re really hurting them.”

The caller advised police it appeared like Alfie was “being hit and held under the water or something” at his residence in Vashon Drive.

Social staff had put in place a safety plan that meant Howell was not allowed to remain in a single day on the home, a rule the couple repeatedly flouted.

Social employee Hayley Waldron advised the trial that in March 2020 there had been authorized discussions over whether or not to take away Alfie from Scott’s care, however as a result of Scott had been seen to be working with social staff at that stage it was deemed the state of affairs didn’t cross that threshold.

An unbiased little one safeguarding follow evaluate is below solution to set up whether or not extra might have been executed to guard Alfie.